The Heartbreaking Story Of How A Game Of Beer Pong Turned Deadly

It started out like any other party. Nearly four years ago, Salomon Martinez was invited over to a friend's apartment in Naugatuck, Connecticut, to play beer pong. It's a game that's known to get a little rowdy, as two teams toss ping pong balls into their opponent's beer-filled cups, forcing them to down the drink. In this case, though, things went far beyond raucous, and an argument over a $10 wager turned deadly.

Two players accused Martinez and others of cheating, police said, sparking a full-blown fight with people hurling bottles and shattering a fish tank. Kyle Gonzalez and Matthew Chandler chased Martinez up a flight of stairs and into a child's bedroom. Martinez tried to lock the door, but Gonzalez broke it down, according to theConnecticut Post.

From there, the details get murky. Gonzalez says Martinez was gone when he entered the room; Martinez was later found dead on the sidewalk. Naugatuck police were called to the scene and questioned people at the party, but it wasn't until an hour later, when they returned, that they found the body, the CT Post reported.

The case made its way to superior court, where — after a day of deliberation — the six jurors determined Martinez's rival beer pong players (Gonzalez, Chandler, and Stephanie Dwyer) should pay Martinez's family $15.6 million. The Stratford man left behind a wife and young daughter.

"We are happy with the result and glad the jury was able to make these people accountable for their actions," Martinez's lawyer, Jeremy Virgil, told CT Post.

It's unclear when the family will receive the money. Gonzalez is serving a 15-year prison sentence while Chandler is serving 10 years. Both pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and conspiracy to commit first-degree assault. Dwyer is believed to be living in Florida; she fled Connecticut after the 2013 incident, the newspaper reported.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Delish participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.